thebatt03-01-2013

4
A fter falling to Vanderbilt on Sunday, the state of Tennessee continued to haunt Texas A&M on Thursday night as the Lady Volunteers downed the Aggies by a 10-point margin at Thompson-Bol- ing Arena in Knoxville, Tenn. Dropping its second consecutive game for the first time since November, the No. 13 A&M women’s basketball team was defeated by No. 8 Tennessee, which leads the SEC. The Aggies’ loss to an unranked Vanderbilt on Sunday was their first defeat to an unranked opponent all season. The Vanderbilt and Tennessee road games marked two of the last three match- ups of the regular season for the Aggies. Junior All-American candidate Kelsey Bone said she knew they would provide a challenge. “When you start talking about the last three games, they are not easy games,” Bone said. “We are talking about tourna- ment teams that we are getting ready to face three games in a row. We just have to focus on what we are doing and the rest will take care of itself.” The Aggies remain winless against the Lady Volunteers, having now faced them three times in the program’s history. Ten- nessee improves to 14-1 in the SEC and secures the regular season SEC title. A&M started the game neck-and-neck with the Lady Volunteers, shooting 50 percent from the field to Tennessee’s 39 percent in the first half. Neither team led by more than five points in the first 17 minutes, but by the end of the period, Tennessee had begun to take control. The Lady Vols went on a 12-2 run late to put them ahead 37-32 going into the locker room at halftime. Tennessee senior guard Taber Spani said the team respects the Aggies. “A lot of their team runs through their point guard and Kelsey Bone down low,” Spani said. “So we had to tweak our game plan a little bit. Obviously we respect them a lot, they’re a great team.” A&M continued to threaten the Lady Vols but never regained its lead. Tennes- see went on yet another 13-2 run dur- ing the second half to put them up 66-52. Soon after, Pratcher would bring the Ag- gies within four with eight straight points, cutting the lead to three at 67-64. Though it seemed as though the Aggies were on a roll, the Lady Volunteers pro- ceeded to drop an impressive seven points in only 51 seconds to give them another MSC Box Office • 979-845-1234 TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! 7:30 PM • Rudder Auditorium mscopas $21 RUSH TICKETS! * Limited Number of Tickets Available at the Window of the MSC Box Office Only • Limit 2 Tickets per Student • Student ID Required Not Valid for Tickets Already Purchased * l friday, march 1, 2013 l serving texas a&m since 1893 l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media the battalion inside campus | 4 Late Aggie honored Less than a year after freshman Aggie Luke Urbanovsky passed away, MSC FISH will host a concert in memory of the 19 year old and his service to the organization. editorial | 2 Who did you vote for? The student body should have been part of the decision that fundamentally changed how yell leaders are elected. T exas A&M released the finalized contract details Thurs- day regarding head coach Kevin Sumlin and his football staff’s salary renegotiation. The second-year coach ac- cepted a $1.1 million bump up to an annual $3.1 million while his assistants received an aggregate increase of $700,000, and will be compensated from a $3.4 million pool. A&M football surged to an 11-2 record in its inaugural season with the Southeastern Conference under Sumlin, including a Heisman Trophy which generated more than $37 million in media exposure for the University, according to research con- ducted by Joyce Julius & Associates. Per the signed contract, the deal was finalized on Tuesday and stretches through March 2017. - Staff Report inside baseball | 4 Houston field trip After a successful two-game home sweep of Northwestern State, the Aggies take to the road for the first time this season. Running Friday through Sunday at Minute Maid Park, the Astros Foundation College Classic will feature A&M, No. 1 North Carolina and others. Signed and sealed COURTESY Aggies fall to Lady Volunteers, 82-72 women’s basketball Charity Chambers The Battalion Junior center Kelsey Bone elevates for a layup during A&M’s 82-72 road loss to Tennessee. Student-run publication releases Kyle Field results campus Cuts imminent, Senate rejects stopgap efforts sequester A n online, student publication af- filiated with Texas Aggie Conser- vatives, The Aggie Guardian, launched Thursday and included in its inaugural issue the results of another student poll regarding fund sources for renovation to the east side of Kyle Field. According to its website, The Aggie Guardian “does investigative journal- ism to create transparency and hold the A&M administration accountable to the Aggie community and Tex- ans.” Aggie Polling — an “indepen- dent, student-run project of The Ag- gie Guardian” — sent a poll to student email accounts that asked whether stu- dents supported the use of student fees on Kyle Field renovations, which 66 percent of 7,817 respondents said they did not support. An A&M administration-affiliated poll reached student email accounts the day after Aggie Polling’s poll last week. University President R. Bowen Loftin reported in an email to students that, of 7,664 respondents, 55 percent favored increases in the University Ad- vancement Fee (to cover 60 percent of the $75 million cost that students were asked to contribute) and sports pass prices (to cover the remaining 40 percent). A third poll by SGA ran along- side student body elections and asked students whether they supported an increase in the UAF (to cover 40 percent) and sports passes (to cover 60 percent) or whether they support funding renovations from current UAF funds. Of the respondents, 65 percent of 8,049 supported drawing from existing funds. All three surveys were presented to students within the span of a week. Loftin — in reference to the SGA and A&M polls — said neither survey was binding. University spokesman Jason Cook said the polls were not a vote “for” or “against” renovating Kyle T he U.S. Senate swatted aside last- minute plans to block $85 billion in federal spending reductions Thurs- day as President Barack Obama and Republicans blamed each other for the latest outbreak of gridlock and the administration readied plans to put the cuts into effect. The immediate impact of the reduc- tions on the public was uncertain. On the Senate floor, a Republican proposal requiring Obama to propose alternative cuts that would cause less disruption in essential government ser- vices fell to Democratic opposition, 62-38. Moments later, a Democratic alter- native to spread the cuts over a decade and replace half with higher taxes on millionaires and corporations won a bare majority, 51-49 — well shy of the 60 needed to advance. Republicans op- posed it without exception. In a written statement after the votes, Obama lambasted Republicans. “They voted to let the entire burden of deficit reduction fall squarely on the middle class,” he said. Obama said, “We can build on the over $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction we’ve already achieved, but doing so will require Republicans to com- promise. That’s how our democracy works, and that’s what the American people deserve.” Said House Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress: “Obama and Senate Democrats are de- manding more tax hikes to fuel more ‘stimulus’ spending.” Regardless, there is little sign of busi- ness worry, let alone panic in the nation. Unlike the “fiscal cliff” showdown of two months ago, there are no deadlines for action to prevent tax increases from hitting nearly every American. Still, there was talk of crisis. “The question is, are we going to Mark Doré The Battalion See Sequester on page 4 See Aggie Guardian on page 4 See Basketball on page 4 FILE BAT_03-01-13_A1.indd 1 3/1/13 12:35 AM

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Page 1: TheBatt03-01-2013

After falling to Vanderbilt on Sunday, the state of Tennessee continued to

haunt Texas A&M on Thursday night as the Lady Volunteers downed the Aggies by a 10-point margin at Thompson-Bol-ing Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.

Dropping its second consecutive game for the first time since November, the No. 13 A&M women’s basketball team was defeated by No. 8 Tennessee, which leads the SEC. The Aggies’ loss to an unranked Vanderbilt on Sunday was their first defeat to an unranked opponent all season.

The Vanderbilt and Tennessee road games marked two of the last three match-ups of the regular season for the Aggies. Junior All-American candidate Kelsey Bone said she knew they would provide a challenge.

“When you start talking about the last three games, they are not easy games,” Bone said. “We are talking about tourna-ment teams that we are getting ready to face three games in a row. We just have to focus on what we are doing and the rest will take care of itself.”

The Aggies remain winless against the Lady Volunteers, having now faced them three times in the program’s history. Ten-nessee improves to 14-1 in the SEC and secures the regular season SEC title.

A&M started the game neck-and-neck with the Lady Volunteers, shooting 50 percent from the field to Tennessee’s 39 percent in the first half. Neither team led by more than five points in the first 17 minutes, but by the end of the period, Tennessee had begun to take control. The Lady Vols went on a 12-2 run late to put them ahead 37-32 going into the locker

room at halftime. Tennessee senior guard Taber Spani

said the team respects the Aggies.“A lot of their team runs through their

point guard and Kelsey Bone down low,” Spani said. “So we had to tweak our game plan a little bit. Obviously we respect them a lot, they’re a great team.”

A&M continued to threaten the Lady Vols but never regained its lead. Tennes-see went on yet another 13-2 run dur-ing the second half to put them up 66-52. Soon after, Pratcher would bring the Ag-gies within four with eight straight points, cutting the lead to three at 67-64.

Though it seemed as though the Aggies were on a roll, the Lady Volunteers pro-ceeded to drop an impressive seven points in only 51 seconds to give them another

MSC Box Office • 979-845-1234

TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT!7:30 PM • Rudder Auditorium

mscopas$21 RUSH TICKETS!* Limited Number of Tickets Available at the Window of the MSC Box Office Only • Limit 2 Tickets per Student • Student ID Required • Not Valid for Tickets Already Purchased

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l friday, march 1, 2013 l serving texas a&m since 1893 l first paper free – additional copies $1 l © 2013 student media

thebattalion

insidecampus | 4Late Aggie honoredLess than a year after freshman Aggie Luke Urbanovsky passed away, MSC FISH will host a concert in memory of the 19 year old and his service to the organization.

editorial | 2Who did you vote for?The student body should have been part of the decision that fundamentally changed how yell leaders are elected.

Texas A&M released the finalized contract details Thurs-day regarding head coach Kevin Sumlin and his football staff’s salary renegotiation. The second-year coach ac-

cepted a $1.1 million bump up to an annual $3.1 million while his assistants received an aggregate increase of $700,000, and will be compensated from a $3.4 million pool.

A&M football surged to an 11-2 record in its inaugural season with the Southeastern Conference under Sumlin, including a Heisman Trophy which generated more than $37 million in media exposure for the University, according to research con-ducted by Joyce Julius & Associates.

Per the signed contract, the deal was finalized on Tuesday and stretches through March 2017.

- Staff Report

insidebaseball | 4Houston field tripAfter a successful two-game home sweep of Northwestern State, the Aggies take to the road for the first time this season. Running Friday through Sunday at Minute Maid Park, the Astros Foundation College Classic will feature A&M, No. 1 North Carolina and others.

Signed and sealed

COURTESY

Aggies fall to Lady Volunteers, 82-72women’s basketball

Charity Chambers The Battalion

Junior center Kelsey Bone elevates for a layup during A&M’s 82-72 road loss to Tennessee.

Student-run publication releases Kyle Field results

campus

Cuts imminent, Senate rejects stopgap efforts

sequester

An online, student publication af-filiated with Texas Aggie Conser-

vatives, The Aggie Guardian, launched Thursday and included in its inaugural issue the results of another student poll regarding fund sources for renovation to the east side of Kyle Field.

According to its website, The Aggie Guardian “does investigative journal-ism to create transparency and hold the A&M administration accountable to the Aggie community and Tex-ans.” Aggie Polling — an “indepen-dent, student-run project of The Ag-gie Guardian” — sent a poll to student email accounts that asked whether stu-dents supported the use of student fees on Kyle Field renovations, which 66

percent of 7,817 respondents said they did not support.

An A&M administration-affiliated poll reached student email accounts the day after Aggie Polling’s poll last week. University President R. Bowen Loftin reported in an email to students that, of 7,664 respondents, 55 percent favored increases in the University Ad-vancement Fee (to cover 60 percent of the $75 million cost that students were asked to contribute) and sports pass prices (to cover the remaining 40 percent).

A third poll by SGA ran along-side student body elections and asked students whether they supported an increase in the UAF (to cover 40 percent) and sports passes (to cover 60 percent) or whether they support funding renovations from current UAF funds. Of the respondents, 65 percent of 8,049 supported drawing from existing funds.

All three surveys were presented to students within the span of a week. Loftin — in reference to the SGA and A&M polls — said neither survey was binding. University spokesman Jason Cook said the polls were not a vote “for” or “against” renovating Kyle

The U.S. Senate swatted aside last-minute plans to block $85 billion

in federal spending reductions Thurs-day as President Barack Obama and Republicans blamed each other for the latest outbreak of gridlock and the administration readied plans to put the cuts into effect.

The immediate impact of the reduc-tions on the public was uncertain.

On the Senate floor, a Republican proposal requiring Obama to propose alternative cuts that would cause less disruption in essential government ser-vices fell to Democratic opposition, 62-38.

Moments later, a Democratic alter-native to spread the cuts over a decade and replace half with higher taxes on millionaires and corporations won a bare majority, 51-49 — well shy of the 60 needed to advance. Republicans op-posed it without exception.

In a written statement after the votes, Obama lambasted Republicans. “They

voted to let the entire burden of deficit reduction fall squarely on the middle class,” he said.

Obama said, “We can build on the over $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction we’ve already achieved, but doing so will require Republicans to com-promise. That’s how our democracy works, and that’s what the American people deserve.”

Said House Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress: “Obama and Senate Democrats are de-manding more tax hikes to fuel more ‘stimulus’ spending.”

Regardless, there is little sign of busi-ness worry, let alone panic in the nation. Unlike the “fiscal cliff” showdown of two months ago, there are no deadlines for action to prevent tax increases from hitting nearly every American.

Still, there was talk of crisis.“The question is, are we going to

Mark Doré The Battalion

See Sequester on page 4See Aggie Guardian on page 4

See Basketball on page 4

FILE

BAT_03-01-13_A1.indd 1 3/1/13 12:35 AM

Page 2: TheBatt03-01-2013

thebattalion page 23.01.2013

opinion

‘voicesLetters

to the editor

From Travis Walters, sophomore biomedical sciences major

Kyle Field is the precious heart of our beloved Aggieland, and there are those who feel nothing but obligation to fund its renovation. But opposite that are outcries that student money should never be used for athletic gain because this is an Academic institute. An Oxford Economics’ Study released in September 2012 revealed that home football games generated $120 million in revenue in the Brazos Valley. Kyle Field is undoubtedly the backbone of Aggieland, which is why funding a bigger, better, stadium can only benefit the community. That is why all students, not just the football fanatics, should carry some burden of cost for renovation. But there is no need to pay more than an additional $100 for a sports pass and students shouldn’t be herded into thinking fee increase is a necessity. The larger capacity and pricier tickets of Kyle 2.0 will bolster increased ticket revenues and will, in turn, proportionally boost local economic revenue, which then boosts the wellbeing of our University. This sounds like an opportunity to “advance the University,” so why not use the University Advancement Fee? If

we let the administration raise fees and sports pass prices, then we will watch as the bigger, better, more profitable Kyle Field makes more money than ever before, and by that notion, will pay for itself over and over again. So, is there a solution in which we can avoid fee increases, and instead, use the existing UAF funds, while guaranteeing that doing so will not result in cutting back Student Services? Why not use the UAF as a loan base? We the students tell the administrators that they can use the UAF to pay for the $75 million student funded renovation, but they have to pay the fund back with interest. If we let them borrow our money at, let’s say, a 10 percent simple interest rate, then that means when the administration pays the fund back, there will be $7.5 million in additional funds to be used for the student body’s own betterment. It would be money that goes where students want and need it to go. Maybe my science major mind isn’t equipped to see the down fall in this, but just think how nice it would be to have the University owe us money for a change.

No need to raise fees or sports passes for Kyle Field renovations

From Zachary Leger, senior history majorI want to preface this by saying that I love football. Some of the best moments of my life, as well as the most frustrating, have come on a football field. That being said, forcing students to pay to upgrade Kyle Field is wrong. I, like most of the students at this great University, came here to further my education, not to watch football games. The A&M administration wants to not only raise the price of sports passes — they want to tack on another student fee to the constantly growing list of student fees. A January NCAA report shows that universities — especially SEC schools — spend a median amount of 12 times as much money on student athletes as they do on those who are not competing in a sport. By forcing students, even those who don’t attend football games, to pay for a new stadium, the A&M administration is showing that it no longer cares about those of us who are here to get an education. Adding more fees will only exacerbate the debt students who attend Texas A&M will accrue. Raising the price of sports passes will also hurt students who want to attend the games but cannot afford the more expensive tickets. More expensive sports passes will also hurt those students

who decide to join the Corps of Cadets. Cadets are required to attend all home football games, making purchasing a sports pass required. The Corps is a minority on campus but the University is essentially saying that joining the Corps will become an even bigger financial burden to cadets than it already is. The nationwide spending on university athletics is out of control. I would love to see Kyle Field grow, but forcing the student body to pay a large amount of the cost of this project that has no effect on academics is wrong. The administration is acting like our nation’s politicians, who do everything in their power to pass on the costs of financing the lives of the elite to the common citizen. This is not only wrong — it should be illegal to force students to pay for athletic facilities. If the athletic department wants students to help pay for its new facilities then it should contribute to the building of new student housing and academic buildings. I love this University and I love the atmosphere of Kyle Field, but students should not bear the exorbitant construction costs that will come along with making Kyle Field into a state-of-the-art luxury facility for rich alumni and football fans to come and watch games.

Forcing students to pay for Kyle Field is wrong

Ambiguous voting change should have had student body input

EDITORIAL

A change to the 2013 student body elections voting process prevented students from voting for more than one senior and one junior yell leader.

The switch represented a fundamental shift in the process through which the most visible manifestation of the 12th Man had been chosen, and it was not given its proper accord.

Students traditionally have cast votes of equal weight — voting for three senior yell leaders, for example, with each vote counted equally. But this year, voters were prompted to rank candi-dates based on preference. Voters did not have the option to give an equal vote to more than one candidate.

The instant runoff voting mechanism is not inherently improper — assuming the voting base has been informed of the processes — but the new system is well outside traditional yell leader election methods. A change may have been war-ranted, but to make one as drastic as the instant runoff system without a referendum on student opinion and without widespread efforts to inform the student body was a mistake.

Election Commissioner Allison Krenzien was slow to respond to Battalion inquiry and, along with Student Senate, justified the implementation of the system without direct student input.

Ballot presentation of the change was inad-equate and did not inform students how votes were processed. The ballot presented a single sentence in regards to yell leader elections, asking voters to rank their preferred candidate. Krenzien said the choice was made to simplify language on the ballot. A relatively thorough explanation was available on the elections website, but it or some-thing similar should have been made available for

students alongside ballots. Krenzien said there is a burden on SGA to

disseminate voting information, but because a partnership exists between the Commission and the voter students should have sought out infor-mation. This clashes directly with the statement regarding ballot simplicity. If an informed voting base is relied on, then provide that base with sufficient information and trust in its ability to sift through it.

The Commission took liberties in a chain of assumptions regarding student representation. Be-cause Student Senate approved election regula-tions and because students elect student senators, the Commission claimed the act was therefore representative of student opinion. Joining these ideas in this manner reflects a disconnection in the perception of the powers and responsibilities of student-elected positions.

This is not a situation that lends itself to point-ing a finger in a single direction. Student Senate passed the act unanimously, Krenzien has backed the system for multiple years and Student Body President John Claybrook signed the passed act. Student opinion should have been sought out in the decision-making process and information should have been better distributed.

Students deserve transparency from those they elect and deserve the same transparency in their motions to elect those who will next lead them.

EDITORIALCARTOON

Thomas Storey — THE BATTALION

The Battalion’s editorial opinion is determined by its editorial board, with the editor-in-chief

having final responsibility.

EDITORIALBOARD

The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the various authors and forum participants in this paper do not necessarily reflect those of Texas A&M University, The Battalion or its staff.

MAILCALL GUESTCOLUMNSMake your opinion known by submitting Mail Call or guest columns to The Battalion. Mail call must be fewer than 200 words and include the author’s name, classification, major and phone number. Staff and faculty must include title. Guest columns must be fewer than 700 words. All submissions

should focus on issues not personalities, become property of The Battalion and are subject to editing for style, clarity and space concerns. Anonymous letters will be read, but not printed. The Battalion will print only one letter per author per month. No mail call will appear in The Battalion’s print or online editions before it is verified.

Direct all correspondence to: Editor in chief of The Battalion

(979) 845-3315 | [email protected]

EDITOR’SNOTE

The BaTTalion is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Offices are in Suite L400 of the Memorial Student Center.

News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in Student Media, a unit of the Division of Student Affairs. Newsroom phone: 979-845-3315; email: [email protected]; website: http://www.thebatt.com.

Advertising: Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and national display advertising, call 979-845-2687. For classified advertising, call 979-845-0569. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Email: [email protected].

Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. First copy free, additional copies $1. Call 979-845-2696 for mail subscriptions.

Trevor StevensEditor-in-Chief

thebattalion The IndependenT STudenT VoIce of TexaS a&M SInce 1893

BAT_03-01-13_A2.indd 1 2/28/13 11:24 PM

Page 3: TheBatt03-01-2013

thebattalion

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Close To Campus! 4/2 &5/2houses, preleasing for August,great floorplans, updated, nopets 731-8257,www.BrazosValleyRentals.com

College Station: 3/2, 1240sqft.Newly remodeled! Newappliances! Close to shuttle, W/D,lawn/pest/maintenanceincluded. 905 Balcones (offWelch), $850./mo. KAZ Realty979-324-9666.

Free locatoring service, HousesDuplexes and Apartments,979-693-4900.

Immediate move-in’s andpre-lease fall. Free cable/internet! Spacious 2bd/1ba. Close to cam-pus, on shuttle route. Largekitchen with full appliances. W/Dconnections. Front and back pat-ios. Ceiling fans. Hillstone On TheParkway, 528 Southwest Parkway.979-693-6102. Open [email protected]

Just available! Close to campus,College Main and Eastgate areas.2bd/1ba., some w/dishwasher,1-fenced, some bills paid.$325-$450/mo. 979-219-3217.

New Renovations! Large 1800sqfthouse, 4bd/2ba. 2-car garage,storage shed, eat-in-kitchen, din-ingroom, familyroom w/fireplace.Tile floors, laundryroom withW/D, 2 refrigerators, large patio,fenced yard. Lawn maintenance,pestcontrol, wireless, cable.Windwood. $375/room, 4roomsavailable Aug.2013.832-326-3215.

FOR RENT

Newer 1/1, 1/1.5 loft, 2/2, 3/3.Granite, ceramic, w/d, walk-inclosets, cable and internet, shuttle. $820-$1560. Brokerowner 979-777-5477.

Northgate. Newer 1/1, 2/2, 3/3and 3/2. Washer/dryer. Walk tocampus. Summer and 1 yearleases okay. aggievillas.net. Call979-255-5648.

Now Leasing and pre-leasing forAugust! 4bdrm/2bth houses. Spa-cious floorplans. Great Location.Close to campus, wood floors, tilefloors, ceiling fans, w/d, fencedyards, refridgerator,icemaker,lawncare.979-776-6079,www.aggielandleasing.com

One month free rent, free cableand ethernet.aggieapartment.com. Tamu shut-tle route. 979-693-1906.

Pre-lease 4 and 5 bedroomhouses, available August, greatfloor plans, close to campus,updated, W/D, all appliances,no pets.www.brazosvalleyrentals.com979-731-8257.

Pre-lease for May or August 2/2Duplex with large fence backyard.Pets ok, walk-in closets, great lo-cation, and shuttle. $775/mo.979-693-1448.

Sublease available, 2bd/2baduplex. $765/mo, $500 deposit.3/4-7/31. Some furnitureincluded.Email [email protected]

HELP WANTED

Ags! Looking for summer work?Earn $9000.00 this summer, buildyour resume, great experience,call Taylor, 214-707-9145.

Athletic men for calendars,books, etc. $100-$200/hr, upto $1000/day. No [email protected]

HELP WANTED

Bryan Police Department is ac-cepting applications for POLICEOFFICER, no experience required,deadline 3/13/13, for informationcall 979-209-5323.

Cheddar’s and Fish Daddy’s nowaccepting applications. Applywithin, University Dr.

Child Care FT & PT shifts available.Some nights & Saturdays re-quired. Apply in person at 3609 E.29th St., Bryan.

Christopher’s World Grille is nowhiring Waitstaff, ServiceAssistants, Hosts and KitchenStaff. Please apply at5001 Boonville Rd., Bryan.

Cleaning commercial buildingsat night, M-F. Call 979-823-5031for appointment.

Industrial Engineering Intern Posi-tion for Local World Class Manu-facturing Plant, student must beproficient in VBA, project driven,creative and adaptable,15-20hrs/week, $12/hr, call979.778.8677 ext.113

King Ranch Turfgrass has immedi-ate part-time opportunities forexperienced farm laborers. Re-sponsibilities include general agri-cultural duties associated withsod farming such as equipmentmaintenance and operation. Forconsideration, call (936)825-6330or apply in person at 28132 TomMoore Rd. Navasota, Texas 77868.EOE/Drug Free Workplace.

Little Guys Movers now hiringFT/PT employees. Must be at least21 w/valid D.L. Apply in person at3209 Earl Rudder Freeway.979-693-6683.

Magician Assistant. High pay,different. $25 per hour. Amateurmagician looking for dedicateddand trustworthy assistants. Pleasesend email to:[email protected]

Pepe's Mexican Cafe is now hiringsmiling faces and friendly person-alities to help make and serve thebest tacos and burritos in town!We need mgmt., cashiers, & cooksfor all shifts. Will work aroundclass schedule. Apply 2-5pm at3312 S. College in Bryan (1.5 milesfrom Campus!)

Retail sales associate, P/t. Eve-nings and weekends 15-25/hrs.Apply at store Once Upon a Child2220 Texas Ave.

HELP WANTED

Seeking EMT’s and Paramedics:Allegiance Ambulance is seekingqualified EMT and Paramedicapplicants for both full-time andpart-time positions. AllegianceAmbulance provides emergency(9-1-1) and non-emergencyservices in the following areas:Dallas, Texoma, Bryan/CollegeStation, San Jacinto County andBuffalo. Learn more about usand download an application atwww.allegiance-ambulance.comOnce you have filled in yourapplication to completion, pleaseeither: -Email it [email protected],-Fax it to 512-869-1620*Attention: Human Resources.Serious candidates only please.

STUDENTPAYOUTS.COMPaid survey takers needed inCollege Station. 100% free tojoin. Click on surveys.

MUSIC

Hey Ags! Learn how to readmusic and play Saxophone,Clarinet, Flute. It’s never too late!Great lessons for beginners,intermediate or advanced. Over35 years professional experience.979-402-7016, Richard Kent.

PETS

2 male Yorkie puppies, 2-3lbs,4mo. old, $800, [email protected], 979-324-2866.

REAL ESTATE

B/CS. Sell/Buy/Invest! MichaelMcGrann TAMU ‘93 CivilEngineering 979-739-2035,[email protected] McGrann 979-777-6211,Town & Country Realty.

ROOMMATES

Roommate wanted, $450/mo+utilities, 3bd/2ba condo, frontparking, call 713-858-1740.

Roommates needed 4bd/2bahome with large backyard andnew flooring. Pets welcome. Callif interested 361-463-6763.

TUTORS

Need a Tutor? Friendly, helpfulone-on-one private tutors for allsubjects at TAMU/Blinn and SamHouston State. Check us out atwww.99tutors.com, 979-268-8867.

A&M spokesman receives international marketing honor

Texas A&M spokesman Jason Cook received in-

ternational recognition for his contributions to shaping the thriving image of Texas A&M University.

From a field of 15 nomi-nees, Cook was named “2012 International Brand Master” by international brand manag-ing firm Educational Market-ing Group.

Officials said Cook’s talent was best demonstrated in his work unifying both the aca-demic and athletic brands of A&M, an effort that presented a united front during a time of increased media exposure after the move to the South-eastern Conference.

“[Cook] has managed to reinvent and reinvigorate the Texas A&M brand, while staying consistent and paying homage to the traditions that make the University such a unique institution,” the firm said in a press release.

John Odom The Battalion

“It was gratifying, indeed, to be a part of the effort where so many people pulled together to strengthen the Texas A&M brand and make the University even better known for all the right reasons.”

— Jason Cook, University spokesman

Bob Brock, president of the Educational Marketing Group, said Cook’s “combi-nation of critical thinking and tactical skills” were major fac-tors in his selection.

“We are thrilled and hon-ored that a professional of the caliber of [Cook] has been named the 2012 International Brand Master,” Brock said. “[Cook] has had an outstand-ing impact on the vener-able Texas A&M brand, and his combination of strategic thinking and tactical skill in-spires us all.”

University President R. Bowen Loftin congratulated Cook and his team.

“I’m delighted to see Mr. Cook be so prominently rec-ognized for his leadership in elevating the Texas A&M brand and helping make the rest of the world know what we take for granted here in Aggieland — that Texas

A&M is a top-flight institu-tion and is rapidly achieving even more prominence both nationally and internation-ally,” Loftin said. “Thus, I join with others in the Aggie Network in congratulating him and his team for outstand-ing work on behalf of our University.”

Cook has led the Texas A&M marketing and com-munications programs for the last five years. He previously served in similar capacities for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service and Texas A&M Agriculture, which in-cludes the College of Agricul-ture and Life Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Research and the Texas A&M AgriLife Ex-tension Service.

“While my name is on the award, it is the result of a team effort reflecting the effective and dedicated work of the entire Division of Mar-keting & Communications,” Cook said. “It was gratifying, indeed, to be a part of the ef-fort where so many people pulled together to strengthen the Texas A&M brand and make the University even better known for all the right reasons.”

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Daniel Mengden, a dual-role play-er who has started two games on the mound and every other batting as designated hitter in the cleanup position. In the nine games he has played, Mengden is 2-0 with a 1.42 earned run average, while also ranking third on the team with a .355 batting average.

“He’s a special player and he’s starting to feel comfortable,” head coach Rob Childress said. “He had a great freshman year and he’s going to have a really good sophomore year.”

The highest-profile test for A&M in Houston will be its Sun-day afternoon matchup with No. 1 North Carolina. The Tar Heels are 7-0 and have outscored their op-ponents 70-19 while averaging 10 runs a game. The Aggies manage just over four runs per game.

“We haven’t really put on the performance that we can,” said sophomore catcher Mitchell Nau. “Guys have got their confidence up and it’s going to help us as a group.”

For the Aggies to bring down the top team in the nation, they will have to contain the Tar Heels’ freshman outfielder, Skye Bolt. In North Carolina’s recent 18-5 rout of St. John’s University, Bolt went 2-4 with an RBI in an 18-5 rout of St. John’s. The freshman holds a .538 batting average with five doubles and eight RBIs.

Texas A&M will also face a tough

After a 10-game home stand to start the season, Texas A&M

baseball will hit the road for the first time to face off against a trio of op-ponents Friday through Sunday in Houston.

Minute Maid Park will host the Astros Foundation College Classic, where the Aggies will match up with top-ranked North Carolina, No. 12 Rice and Houston.

Despite entering the weekend tournament fresh off a two-game series sweep of Northwestern State, the Aggies’ offense has failed to find a rhythm. Lacking big-time hitters — as evidenced by A&M’s absence of homeruns through 10 games —

the team will have to continue to reap high-caliber production from the top of the lineup to have any success in Houston.

Senior shortstop Mikey Reyn-olds and junior centerfielder Krey Bratsen, who typically bat first and second in the order, head into the weekend carrying nine-game hit-ting streaks. Reynolds and Bratsen lead the team in batting average this season, posting .436 and .359 marks, respectively.

“I have a lot more confidence this year than I did last year,” Bratsen said. “I really need that right now. I don’t care how I do personally, as long as we keep winning.”

The Aggies will also look for strong outings from sophomore

thebattalion 3.1.2013 page4

Michael Ayo The Battalion

Aggies set sights on tough matchups in Houston

sportsequestrian | No. 6 A&M hosts conference foe No. 2 Auburn on Friday at the Brazos County Expo Complex. swimming & diving | Olympian Breeja Larson,

along with 12 other A&M swimmers and divers, were named to the All-SEC team Thursday. Larson was honored as the conference’s Female Swimmer of the Year, as voted on by league head coaches.

Freshman reliever Matt Kent goes to the plate during A&M’s 2-0 loss against the University of Illinois-Chicago. The appearence was Kent’s career debut for the Aggies.

Roger Zhang — THE BATTALION

test when it takes on in-state and former Southwest Conference rival Rice on Saturday. Over the past 10 years, the Owls have been highly competitive in baseball, placing a team in the College World Series five times and defeating Stanford for the NCAA Championship in 2003. The Owls enter the weekend ranked No. 12 in the nation with a

6-2 record.The Aggies will play their first

game of the College Classic on Fri-day when they match up against hometown favorite, the Houston Cougars. The unranked Cougars have a 6-2 record and a three-game win streak.Junior catcher Troy Stein slides into third base during the Aggies’

2-1 victory over Northwestern State. Stein finished with two hits, a triple and A&M’s leadoff run.

Tanner Garza — THE BATTALION

achieve these savings through badly-designed spend-ing cuts that make no attempt whatever to distin-guish between more sensible government spending and less sensible spending?” asked Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who co-authored the Republican proposal.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington said that was precisely what Democrats had tried to do by propos-ing the deferral of Pentagon cuts until U.S. combat troops have come home from Afghanistan in two years’ time.

At the same time, she said the Democrats had rea-sonably proposed replacing half of the pending cuts with higher taxes on “the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations.”

Boehner and House Republicans show no hurry to alter the cuts, contending they provide leverage with Obama in their demand for savings from gov-ernment benefit programs. They are expected to launch legislation next week to replenish govern-ment coffers after current funding expires March 27.

Some Republicans held out hope that the current struggle might lead to talks on completing work on a deficit reduction package that has been more than two agonizing years in the making.

“The objective here ought to be not just to deal with sequester, but to deal with the underlying spending problems, which require tax reform” as well as reform of benefit programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security,” said Sen. Rob Port-man, R-Ohio.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, suggested that Congress take a more active approach.

“The Constitution assigns Congress the power of the purse and the responsibility to appropriate federal funds,” Cruz said. “Congress should take up that obligation, pass a budget and finally get serious about

reducing federal spending.”Considering that 46 cents of every dollar the fed-

eral government spends is borrowed, Cruz said that Washington should cut more than 2.4 percent.

“Our national debt exceeds the size of our entire economy, threatening future generations,” he said. “And, in the face of these grave economic chal-lenges, Washington, D.C., is agonizing over a 2.4 percent cut.”

In a cycle of crisis followed by compromise over the past two years, Obama and congressional Re-publicans have agreed to more than $3.6 trillion in long-term deficit savings over a decade.

Each party fears the political fallout of confronting them on their own, but Democrats are reluctant to scale back programs that they count as their political birthright.

For Cruz, the question is not whether or not ad-ministration is able to keep the nation’s best interests in mind, but rather if they are willing.

“The Obama administration has the ability to implement the sequester so as to avoid damaging national security and compromising the best in-terests of Americans,” he said. “The only reason it might do otherwise would be to score partisan political points.”

As constituted, the cuts would total $85 billion through the end of the current budget year — Sept. 30 — half each from defense and non-defense pro-grams. Large parts of the budget are off-limits, in-cluding programs for veterans, Social Security and Medicare benefits.

While the White House has issued a steady stream of severe warnings about the impact of across-the-board cuts.

“This is not a cliff, but it is a tumble downward,” President Obama said. “It’s conceivable that in the first week, the first two weeks, the first three weeks, the first month ... a lot of people may not notice the full impact of the sequester.”

— Staff and Wire report

SequesterContinued from page 1

Field.Claiming to match the A&M administration’s

poll question, Aggie Polling included a question that asked whether students supported raising “mandatory student fees” and “raising the sports pass price.” The Aggie Guardian reported that 76 percent of students said they do not support the proposal.

Texas Aggie Conservatives lists among its officers Marc Pitts, who is also editor-in-chief of The Aggie Guardian. The publication’s first issue included articles on such topics as the selling of student sports passes, the UAF and the Athletics Department. In his letter of introduction for the publication, Pitts said, “uni-versity administration was not very cooperative in certain cases,” toward The Aggie Guardian.

Poll ResultsContinued from page 1

Aggies honor late student’s legacy through concert

Texas A&M students will have the opportunity to support the organization that sophomore

chemical engineering major Luke Urbanovsky — who died in a car accident last June — held close to his heart through a benefit concert Saturday at Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater.

Josh Urbanovsky, Luke’s oldest brother, is in charge of the planning that has gone into making the “Carry Ahead Luke’s Legacy” concert possible and said the process has gone better than expected.

“The city of College Station has worked with us tremendously to help make this show possible,” Josh said. “We are really fortunate to have such a great lineup performing. The bands all fell into place in very unique ways, but the similarity of each is represented by people who create amazing music and want to help change the world by supporting this amazing cause.”

More than 460 people are expected to attend the concert in memory of Luke’s life and love for service.

“It will be an amazing concert and with the peo-ple attending this, there will be amazing energy in the crowd,” Josh said. “But the truth is, without him living his life the way he did and impacting so many people’s lives already, none of this would be possible.”

The money raised from the concert will go to the Luke Urbanovsky Texas A&M Foundation, an endow-ment in support of the Fresh-man Leadership Organization, MSC FISH, of which Luke was a member. MSC FISH is designed to shape its members into future leaders. Luke’s role in the organization was plan-ning and executing Kyle Field Day, an event that brings local charities to Kyle Field for stu-dents to participate in.

“Someone’s impact on a community and school through an endowment can be the difference be-tween someone’s involvement as a student or not,” said Steven Baker, sophomore business major and

member of MSC FISH. “The concert will allow FISH to expand its reach and welcome students to the organization Luke loved.”

Zach Rozinsky, a sophomore electrical engi-neering major and assistant director of MSC FISH, said Luke’s attitude toward service will be an ex-ample for others.

“A person can have a massive impact on a com-munity or a school,” Rozinsky said. “It all depends on how they choose to leave their fingerprints. Luke’s life will show others what it means to be a selfless-servant. Luke was a giver, an entertainer and an outstanding friend.”

Sam Hamad Special to The Battalion

Concert start timeThe concert will be held at Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater Saturday with performances from Charlie Gore, Pat Ryan and others. Admission is $5 and gates open at 5:30 p.m.

Urbanovsky

double-digit lead with less than six minutes to play in the game.

Tennessee’s lead was cut to four with less than four minutes left. Freshman guard Courtney Walker would score the last 4 points for the Aggies, but Tennessee withstood the Aggies’ effort to take the 82-72 win.

The Aggies now stand at 11-4 in conference play and 21-8 overall.

“I like the competition of the Top 5 teams in our league,” head coach Gary Blair said. “And what we’re doing to make each other better. The last time I heard, it takes four to go to the Final Four and I wouldn’t ever count out an SEC team to get there, including ourselves, including Kentucky and Tennessee.”

sportsAggies look to retain win streakLooking to defend its undefeated 18-0 record, the No. 5 Texas A&M softball team will travel to Orlando, Fla., to compete in the Citrus Classic Friday through Sunday.

Addition to athletic front officeAthletic director Eric Hyman announced former student Will Stallworth, Class of 1959, will join the University as his special assistant. Stallworth, a civil engineer, was hired to support the department as it “embarks on the largest on-campus football facility improvement in the country.”

campusFirst Rudder act diesAmerican pianist Harvey Lavan “Van” Cliburn Jr. — the first musician to perform at Rudder Auditorium after its 1973 opening — died Wednesday in Fort Worth.

nationViolence Against Women Act renewedThe U.S. House of Representatives passed a renewal Thursday of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act, which will now go to President Obama for signing.

BasketballContinued from page 1

@battsports

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